Maine legislature approves sweeping gun control bill in the wake of deadly mass shooting
The Maine legislature on Tuesday, Wednesday and Thursday approved several sweeping gun control measures, including increased waiting periods, background checks, expansion of court-ordered firearm forfeiture and a prohibition on selling firearms to those who aren’t legally permitted to own them. The first bill approved by the legislature was the “Act to Strengthen Public Safety by [...]
The UK House of Commons voted Tuesday to advance the “Tobacco and Vapes Bill” that would make it illegal for anyone born in 2009 or later to buy tobacco and add restrictions to vaping. Legislators voted in favour of the bill in a 383 to 67 vote. Rather than banning smoking outright, the restrictions apply to [...]
US appeals court finds West Virginia transgender sports ban violates anti-discrimination law
The US Court of Appeals for the Fourth Circuit ruled on Tuesday that West Virginia’s ban on transgender girls competing on girls’ sports teams violates a transgender student’s rights under Title IX. The law, which is known as the “Save Women’s Sports Act,” prohibits individuals who were assigned male at birth from competing on girls’ [...]
Belgium police intervene at far-right event over concerns about public safety
Belgian police intervened at the National Conservatism Conference (NatCon) on Tuesday, following an order prohibiting the event. The order, issued by the mayor of the Brussels municipality of Saint-Joose-ten-Noode Emir Kir, was aimed at preventing public disorder. The conference, set for April 16 and 17, faced disruption on its first day due to the police [...]
US Supreme Court allows Idaho gender-affirming care ban for minors to go into effect
The US Supreme Court granted an emergency request for stay led by Idaho officials, allowing the state to temporarily enforce a statewide ban on gender-affirming care for certain minors. This ban is one of the first cases related to transgender health care to reach the nation’s highest court. Labrador v. Poe is the case that [...]
Colorado House of Representatives passes ban on sale of assault weapons
Colorado’s House of Representatives passed HB 1292 Sunday by a vote of 35-27. The bill bans the sale and transfer of semiautomatic firearms within the state and will now head to the state senate. The bill prohibits people from manufacturing, importing, purchasing, selling, offering to sell or transferring ownership of an “assault weapon.” The bill [...]
The Commission on Reproductive Self-Determination and Reproductive Medicine in Germany on Monday submitted a final report recommending the legalization of abortion within the first 12 weeks of pregnancy in the country. The German government appointed the Commission in March last year to answer the government’s questions regarding abortion and reproductive medicine. An interdisciplinary body, the [...]
Thousands march in Poland against attempt to liberalize abortion law
Thousands of people protested in Poland on Sunday against an attempt by the Sejm, the lower house of the Polish legislature, to further advance parliamentary works that would amend the strict abortion law currently in power. The parliament voted Friday on four-abortion related issues, in addition to creating an Extraordinary Committee to draft new abortion laws. [...]
The US Department of State decided on Friday to prevent former President of Suriname Desi Bouterse and six former Surinamese military officials from entering the US because they were involved in the “extrajudicial killings of political opponents during the December Murders of 1982.” According to a statement published by the State Department, Desi Bouterse, six [...]
Reporters Without Borders (RSF) urged the Italian government on Friday to amend their planned reforms to defamation legislation to comply with European and international law. This comes days after amendments to this proposed legislation were revealed to include a potential ban on working as a journalist as well as increased fines. RSF heavily criticized the [...]
